And of course, the cat decides to take a nap on top of the CLEAN CLOTHES.
December 29, 2004
Stupid Furball
I’m going to be guest blogging!
I will, for a while, be guest-blogging over at MY LEFT BRAIN.
As this is akin to an actor in a school play being asked to perform on Broadway (or at least, off-Broadway), it would be justified to describe myself as “excited.” Also, “estatic.”
My arm hurts because I just pinched myself a few times to make sure I wasn’t dreaming. I’m not, but I am bleeding now. Stupid finger nails.
Good-Bye, Lenny
Last night I watched three episodes of Law & Order back to back on TNT or TBS? Wherever. It was a bit of a shock to flip open USA Today and come across this.
Bye, Lenny.
Conservatives are natural followers.
Rick ponders our ability to market an idea, and why it is so vital that we learn how to do so.
It seems to me not just snarkiness to note that one of the “problems†is that the liberal message historically has been a kind of reactive message. The Left has always been about striving for a better society, a better world. Improvement. Doing that naturally involves pointing out what’s wrong with the existing structures and processes; hence, the reactive mode and, hence, the reason conservatives often appear to set the agenda. Furthermore, many liberals (small “el†to denote lack of organization) have their own pet issues, or, if you will, priorities and are not easily pressed into becoming part of a larger propaganda machine. Conservatives are natural followers.
Top that off with the fact that right now (pun intended, to those who got it) there’s a lot that’s going wrong, partly because the conservative leadership isn’t truly conservative. That’s why they’re often referred to as neo-conservatives. They’re radically transforming the world — something which is normally the province of liberals — but they’re doing it in a negative way. They wish to resurrect an older world which, unfortunately, is able to pull energy from a variety of elemental self-serving drives of what had been a waning power. Bigots longingly wish for the days when gay-bashing was acceptable, where men were men and women were not competitive in the job market, where non-whites — who these days are really a minority only in the Republican Party — “knew their place.†Corporations long for the days of exploitation for profit without concern about resources, including human resources. They dream of slave labor, or, failing that, of pliable serfs who know better than to question the Nobles.
Additionally, it’s difficult for liberals to coordinate or consolidate in the way the conservatives have done. After all, since conservatives seldom dig very deeply into any “issues,†they really have just a few key points to hammer. To pick just one example, the Right is not doing any kind of deep analysis of anti-gay social policies — most of them just hate gays. Period. I’d be surprised if they even knew why other than “it’s unnatural.†(That’s in quotes to pre-emptively dispel any thought that the idea expressed therein is mine; they’re scare quotes.) There’s no attempt to understand what constitutional implications their stance has. And sound bites like “it’s unnatural†are easier to propagate when one doesn’t have to ponder what they really mean or whether they’re really true.
On the other hand, liberals frequently do consider such things. One reason my typical blog entry is so long is the combination of trying to make my arguments complete and consider some of the implications, or side issues. (Maybe I should elide more with the hope that it will stimulate interstitial comments and, when it doesn’t, just generate another post.)
The bold, of course, is mine. And that’s why we need to be ever vigiliant and kick some ass.
It’s like a movie! With Julia Roberts & Vin Diesel!
Zenchick, regarding the tsunami disaster, observes, “it’s like a movie. What is so sad about that is that after watching movies that depict things like this, in some ways we have become numb to the real suffering that occurs.”
According to the news report this morning on 98-Rock, the death toll is now up to 60,000. And this USA Today story writes that in some embattled nations, even sides embroiled in civil war are putting aside their arms to help the victims. Touching, no?
After a lot of criticism, the US more than doubled the amount of relief aid it is sending, from $15 million to $35 million. Some might accuse Rox Populi of sarcasm when she writes, “So, that’s like having Vin Diesel and Julia Roberts in the same flick.”
I read somewhere that the French had only pledged $100,000 to help, but the closest I can find to confirm it is Jeff Jarvis.
Tas has offered a blogger challenge to help raise money for the Tsunami victims, and Chepooka has a reward for those who do. No, it isn’t nude photos. I know, right?
Lee might seem to be ranting and raving like a lunatic, “it was a secret nuclear detonation by the Israeli government, the intent of which was to wipe out as many Muslims as possible. And, showing their contempt for those of the Muslim faith, the Mossad warned the animals in advance of the attack,” but in reality he’s just mocking Rome. Captain’s Quarters notes that the Vatican’s anti-Israeli bias has slipped out. But, wait, doesn’t the Vatican have a bias to everyone not a Catholic? I wonder how much the Vatican donated to relief?